One of the best things about travel is the finding of stories.

Stories that inspire me to travel in the first place and the ones I find on the road that capture my imagination. I’m particularly fascinated when I come across stories where the main player is a woman. Being the month of International Women’s Day, I thought it a fitting month to write about some of the women I’ve found along the way and their stories.

Kicking off with trip right up North to…

Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland

Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, Stromness was an important place for whaling ships. It was a popular port of call to recruit crewmen and take on fresh supplies. The Orkney town was also home to to the formidable Margaret Humphrey; midwife, nurse and mother to thirteen children.

Whaling was a dirty and dangerous business, and it didn’t always end well. Ships could become trapped in Arctic ice, leaving the crew icebound and at the mercy of frostbite and scurvy. In 1836, 28 sailors made it back to Stromness who had suffered this exact fate. They found a place to call home and recover thanks to ‘Mrs Humphrey’s House’ .

Mrs Humphrey converted her home into a make shift hospital and oversaw the nursing of the whaler men . Little is known about the woman or her work, but the house she opened as a hospital is now marked with a blue plaque.

Modern day Stromness is a creative and friendly community, home to a world renowned arts centre and host of many festivals across the year. Read about my visit here and get all the up-to-date information you’d need to plan your own trip here.

Spetses, Greek Islands.

Laskarina Bouboulina was a woman with grit. The daughter of a sea captain, she was born into turbulent times and lived a life shaped by conflict and the high seas. Mother to six children, she married twice but lost both husbands to battles at sea. Her circumstances were probably not unusual for those times. How she played the hand she was dealt is.

Upon the death of her second husband she took over his trading business, built a fortune and fought off representatives of the Ottoman Empire who were chasing her assets. She joined an underground organisation fighting for Greek independence, built an eighteen cannon warship and headed up naval blockades. As if that wasn’t enough, she also roamed Greece on horseback transporting money and supplies to rebels. When her son fell in battle, she travelled onto the battlefield to collect his remains and then personally executed three Ottoman prisoners as part of his funeral. You wouldn’t mess with this woman.

After an eventful and colourful life defined by conflict, Laskarina was shot dead in a family feud. She travelled all over Greece fighting for freedom, but Speteses was the place she called home.

Image credit: Bouboulina’s Museum

The island still honours her, from the square that carries her name to the museum in her former home. And when you look at this archetypal small Greek island, just a few hours from Athens, you can see why she thought it all so worth fighting for.

More about Spetses here

Edlesborough, Chilterns ANOB, Buckinghamshire

If you’re looking for quintessential rolling English countryside, dotted with market towns and scattered with tucked away villages, this could be the one for you. Despite being a short distance and easily accessible by car or train from London, this part of England remains very rural. It’s full of lovely views, old drovers routes, ancient churches and fascinating people.

You’ll find two of the latter in Edlesborough, a rural community sitting in the North of the Chiltern Hills. The village is dominated by the impressive Church of St Mary, perched on a chalk mound with views across the Chilterns and the Vale of Aylesbury. What makes this medieval church a little different, is that you can rent it overnight. This was the place we had our first ever Champing adventure. It was because I went to spend the night in the church on the hill, I ‘met’ Bridget Elizabeth Talbot.

A short walk from the church up a country lane, I came across this understated stone tribute. I’ve already devoted a whole post to Bridget Elizabeth Talbot and I’d love you to give it a read. She was a campaigner , humanitarian worker and inventor. She invented a water tight torch for sailors and successfully campaigned to have it made compulsory kit for the forces.

Born into a wealthy, well connected family I’m sure she could have married well and filled her days with gentle entertaining and country pursuits. But she didn’t. She campaigned tirelessly her whole life and worked her connections to make life better for others. She was an agitator, but for good causes. I salute that.

Find out more about visiting the Chilterns and South Downs here; and more about Champing here.

Bamburgh & The Northumberland Coast, North East England

Bamburgh- a coastal town in the heart of Northumberland. Keeper of rich history, some amazing stretches of coast line and a beautiful castle. As if that wasn’t enough, also home to the Grace Darling Museum.

Grace Darling, daughter of a light house keeper, became one on the Victorian era’s most celebrated heroines when she risked her life to rescue stranded survivors of a steamship that had run aground in the rocky waters between the mainland and the rocky Farne Islands.

Bamburgh Castle.
Image Credit: http://www.visitnorthumberland.com.

Realising that it was too stormy to launch the lifeboats, and that survivors were unlikely to be able to hold on, Darling and her father took a traditional rowing boat ( known as a Northumberland Coble) and rowed out to them. Using their knowledge of local waters, the pair were able to travel a mile long route that kept them on the sheltered side of the islands. They rescued nine people.

Grace Darling died of tuberculosis just four years later. She is buried in the church yard of St Aidan’s in Bamburgh, where a monument depicting her sleeping effigy clasping an oar also stands. The church itself features a stained glass window in her memory.

Visitors to Bamburgh today can explore the castle, beautiful coastal walks and beaches. For the more traditional seaside town experience, head into neighbouring Seahouses. As well as fish and chips and amusements , this is where you can pick up a boat trip to the neighbouring Farne Islands. Hopefully there’ll be no Grace Darling style rescue required. Just a good sailing to enjoy the views and wild life, which often includes some very curious grey seals.

Well-behaved women rarely make history.

Eleanor Roosevelt

I’d intended to publish this post on International Women’s Day, but real life got in the way. I’ve posted it anyway, because I think women’s stories should be told. Especially when they are as impressive as this bunch. Tell me about a woman who you think should be celebrated. Drop a story or a link in the comments. Let’s see how many stories we can share.

Helen x

30 thoughts

  1. Fascinating post as are all your posts but this one resonates more at the moment as international Women’s Day (or is it Woman’s Day?) is upon us. I was especially taken by the story of Bridget Talbot. What a woman!

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Do you know , I’m not sure on the Woman/ Women thing? Both would make sense to me? I googled and found both words used πŸ€·β€β™€οΈ

      I think what will really make sense will be when we just don’t need a day or month dedicated to the whole idea anymore. A ways to go yet, but I think we are getting there!

  2. I remember the Post about Bridget and I think I may have commented on it, it’s worth a re-read and I’ll make a note to go back to it when I can. Meantime, just LOVE that dog of yours.

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Aw thanks Mari- he’s my favourite problem to have πŸ˜†

  3. How fascinating Helen, especially Bridget Talbot in the Chilterns and Grace Darling in Bamburgh. Two places I’m yet to visit but would very much like to!

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      I hope you make it to both of these places, both well worth a visit. Although I’m obviously biased towards the North East being from Newcastle !

  4. Fascinating stories of wit and bravery. I love the photo of Bridget Talbot, such light in her eyes, and I intend to check out your article about her. Bamburgh looks gorgeous and would be worth a visit just to see the grave of Grace Darling. I recently came across a heartbreaking story of Qandeel Baloch, whose story highlights the struggles of so many women in so many places still today. This is where I heard her story: https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-157-the-short-life-of-qandeel-baloch-1-29-2021.

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Thank you for sharing the link, I’d not heard of her story until you highlighted it. Very sobering and it brings it home that while many of us celebrate IWD in good spirits, in other parts of the world women still struggle for basic rights and protection. I hope justice can prevail but it doesn’t look too likely.

  5. It is a great post. I really enjoyed learning about these women.

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment, I’m glad you enjoyed the post 😊

  6. Great idea for a post and a fascinating read. I’ve long known about Grace Darling as my grandmother was named Grace and used to say it was after her, although many of my grandmother’s stories had to be taken with a large pinch of salt! I’ve been to Bamburgh lots of times so always think of her there. But all the others you feature are new to me. I was especially taken with the exploits of Laskarina Bouboulina – what a woman she was!

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Wasn’t she just? I love all these women’s stories because they fly in the face of what was expected of women of their time.

  7. Great post. The whole of March is Women’s History Month, so no need to worry about missing IWD! I remember Mrs Humphrey from when we were in Orkney a few years ago, so must have my own picture of the plaque. I’ll keep her in mind, because I’ve been doing a tweet thread for Women’s History Month. I was careful not to specify Scottish in case I ran out, but that’s my aim. So far, so good …

    https://twitter.com/anabelmarsh/status/1498616792557756424?s=21

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      I’ll have to pop over and have a look. I need to get to grips with twitter. I keep dipping in a toe and then feeling lost with it all, but there’s some really interesting stuff on there.

  8. Great post I am Greek and it’s fascinating to read about Bouboulina!x

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Amazing- I hope I’ve done her justice in the way I’ve written about her! Where in Greece is home for you?

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Thank you so much, I’m glad you enjoyed it.

  9. What fantastic stories about some amazing women. Strine as is a place I am aching to visit and will be looking at your article again as I plan. Thank you for a wonderful read.

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to read and comment, it’s appreciated!

  10. How interesting. What great women and interesting places.

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Thanks Sharyn, yes definitely all women with real grit. Thanks for stopping by!

  11. Fabulous post, so good to hear about such inspiring women, thanks for writing.

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Thanks, they are a fascinating bunch aren’t they? Not exactly the ‘fairer sex’!

  12. theunpurposefulmother says:

    I live learning about places I have travelled

  13. How great to learn about more daring women from the past. Laskarina Bouboulina was quite a force & leader. Is that “champing adventure” still done today? Sounds positively interesting.

    1. ThingsHelenLoves says:

      Thankyou so much- I’m so sorry for the late reply, your comment somehow got stuck in the system! Apologies, appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.

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